Why not visit …

Ify Ikenwe Iferma is from Ibadan in Nigeria. She was in prison for many years for a crime that she had done. In the prison were people who had done all sorts of crimes. Each day Ify looked forward to the time that she would be free from prison and she could go home. But every day was just another day of hard work with little or nothing to eat. In fact, she suffered much in that prison.

Important visitor

One day the President of Nigeria came to visit the prison. He decided to free the prisoners, but they did not know this was why he had come to see them. Each prisoner was brought to the President, who asked them what crime they had done. To the great surprise of the President, everybody except Ify said they had done nothing wrong. When he asked Ify why she was in prison, she said it was because she had done something very wrong and she was guilty of the crime. The President said to Ify, "I am giving you a pardon. Since you are guilty and every other person says they are innocent, you don't have to be with them any longer. You may go back to your people and your home. All the other people in the prison will stay here because they have 'nothing to be pardoned for'."

Home and free

This is how freedom came for Ify. She went home very happy, but she often went back to visit the other prisoners. They were still disappointed and crying because they did not receive a pardon. We too are in a sort of prison. Our prison is the bondage of fear, wrong doing, or the power of bad spirits. But there is someone who, like the President, can free us from our prison. It is Jesus Christ who forgives all who say sorry to him for their wrong doing. He also sets us free from the power of fear and bad spirits. Just as Ify told the President she had done wrong, so we have to admit to Jesus we have done wrong. Only then can he forgive us and set us free.